RTC Red Color Recovery

[BlueFloooow]

I've been keeping an rtc for almost a year now had it since it was an inch or two, now it's almost 12-14". Kept it in a 50 gal for a year and this resulted horribly, it caused gill curl and it became very pale before I started doing 40-50% water changes every 3 days. Now I've made a 300+ gal pond and have transferred the rtc there. It has been there for 2 weeks now.

Is there anyway for the gill curl to just go away? and when will the red start to appear on its tail? (I've been feeding shrimp with the shell on)

I have been greatly misinformed before acquiring my rtc but now I know that it would require a much bigger pond. I have made preparations for an intex 1000 gal pond too in the future when it outgrows the 300.

 

[Damascus]

Unfortunately the gill curl may be a permanent thing. With the rescues I have taken in as a result of people getting them who have no business doing so, no matter how long I have had them in proper conditions, the damage from negligent previous owners usually remains.

With this being one of the most common and notorious tank buster available, I am rather confused as to how you say someone else misinformed you when a simple web search would have returned thousands of photos showing catfish bigger than a 55 gallon. This is gross negligence and unfortunately it appears your catfish is suffering the consequences of such.

Moving forward, keep your water parameters perfect and provide PRISTINE conditions. If you don't know what your levels are, buy a kit and test. You may be able to minimize the damage as the fish grows but it is likely going to stay as a permanent deformity.

It is very stressed and sickly if it is washed out and pale. Feed a variety of foods including frozen whole fish, shrimp, and a quality pellet. If you have only been feeding shrimp for the past year, it is likely this fish has been deprived of a complete nutrition profile as well. Variety is key.

I have had red tail cats hit 2 feet in their first year, with my biggest getting to 27" from when she was imported as a wild caught 1" fish. With proper conditions they will get big and fast.

Please, please read more about this fish. There is no shortage of valuable information out there about this fish or its monstrous needs and requirements.

Best of luck with undoing what has been done. If you need more information or assistance, feel free to private message me. I have had well over 20 of these in my time and they are perhaps my favorite fish in the hobby. I would be more than happy to assist in anyway I can

 

[BlueFloooow]

I was around 16 when I was s

Unfortunately the gill curl may be a permanent thing. With the rescues I have taken in as a result of people getting them who have no business doing so, no matter how long I have had them in proper conditions, the damage from negligent previous owners usually remains.

With this being one of the most common and notorious tank buster available, I am rather confused as to how you say someone else misinformed you when a simple web search would have returned thousands of photos showing catfish bigger than a 55 gallon. This is gross negligence and unfortunately it appears your catfish is suffering the consequences of such.

Moving forward, keep your water parameters perfect and provide PRISTINE conditions. If you don't know what your levels are, buy a kit and test. You may be able to minimize the damage as the fish grows but it is likely going to stay as a permanent deformity.

It is very stressed and sickly if it is washed out and pale. Feed a variety of foods including frozen whole fish, shrimp, and a quality pellet. If you have only been feeding shrimp for the past year, it is likely this fish has been deprived of a complete nutrition profile as well. Variety is key.

I have had red tail cats hit 2 feet in their first year, with my biggest getting to 27" from when she was imported as a wild caught 1" fish. With proper conditions they will get big and fast.

Please, please read more about this fish. There is no shortage of valuable information out there about this fish or its monstrous needs and requirements.

Best of luck with undoing what has been done. If you need more information or assistance, feel free to private message me. I have had well over 20 of these in my time and they are perhaps my favorite fish in the hobby. I would be more than happy to assist in anyway I can

I was 16 when I bought it and I live in a third world country so I assumed what the lfs told me was reliable information.

thank you so much for the reply. I wasn't expecting this kindness. My rtc's pond rn is crystal clear with a lot of lava rings and rocks as bio media and pothos plants too. I really hope I can provide care to it.